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I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I’ve really whittled down what I carry for myself after having kids. (This was what was in my bag before kids.) Almost all of my personal stuff now fits in a bag like this lovely LeSportsac travel pouch, and I just move it and my wallet from diaper bag to tote bag to purse as needed. (Although honestly I could probably cut the wallet out of the picture if I tried hard enough!) I like that the pictured bag has outside zippers, comes in fun colors (much easier to find inside a bag!) and is only $22. Happy Friday! LeSportsac Travel Cosmetic Pouch (L-2)Sales of note for 4.18.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 50% off full-price dresses, jackets & shoes; $30 off pants & skirts; extra 50% off sale styles
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything; extra 20% off purchase
- Eloquii – 50% off select styles; 60% off swim; up to 40% off everything else
- J.Crew – Mid-Season Sale: Extra 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off spring-to-summer styles
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Spring Mid-Season Sale: Up to 50% off 100s of styles
- Nordstrom: Free 2-day shipping for a limited time (eligible items)
- Talbots – Spring Sale: 40% off + extra 15% off all markdowns; 30% off new T by Talbots
- Zappos – 29,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Up to 70% off baby items; 50% off toddler & kid deals & 40% off everything else
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off spring faves; 25% off new arrivals; up to 30% off spring
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Up to 60% off sale styles; up to 50% off kids’ spring-to-summer styles
- Old Navy – 30% off your purchase; up to 75% off clearance
- Target – Car Seat Trade-In Event (ends 4/27); BOGO 25% off select skincare products; up to 40% off indoor furniture; up to 20% off laptops & printers
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- If you’re a working parent of an infant with low sleep needs, how do you function at work when you’re in the throes of baby’s sleep regression?
- Should I cut my childcare down to 12 hours a month if I work from home?
- Will my baby have speech delays if we raise her bilingual?
- Has anyone given birth in a teaching hospital?
- My child eats everything, and my friends’ kids do not – how should I handle? In general, what is the best way to handle when your child has some skill/ability and your friend’s child doesn’t have that skill/ability?
- ADHD moms, give me your tips to help with things like behavior in the classroom, attention to detail, etc?
- I think I suffer from mom rage…
- My husband and kids are gone this weekend – how should I enjoy my free time?
- I’m struggling to be compassionate with a SAHM friend who complains she doesn’t have enough hours of childcare.
- If you exclusively formula fed, what tips do you have for in the hospital and coming home?
- Could I take my 4-yo and 8-yo on a 7-8 day trip to Paris, Lyon, and Madrid?
Still pregnant says
So I’ve been doing pretty well at not freaking out about pregnancy and all the changes your body goes through, but….
Today I am wearing a 34H bra. This is absurd. I’ve always had a larger chest and hated it, so this is really not my favorite. If one other person tells me, ‘it’s only going to get worse’, I will pinch them.
Gah, I can’t wait to be done with having babies and get a reduction.
(was) due in june says
I have been basically flat chested my whole life, 32b in some brands, 32a in others. I got measured during my second trimester because my bras really weren’t fitting and when the nordstrom associate measured me as a 32dd, I thought she was insane. Totally insane. I tried on the 32dd and she decided it was too small and fit me into 32ddd. I started laughing in disbelief. I’m getting measured again soon but I suspect I’m still at 32ddd. Meanwhile, a friend of mine got pregnant at the same time and her 32bs didn’t get bigger at all, somewhat to her disappointment, even while nursing (and she had plenty of supply). Hormones are so weird. Hang in there!
NewMomAnon says
*hugs*
My b**bs are smaller than they were before I got pregnant. My ribcage spread so my band is bigger, but the cup size went down. So…there is hope? There will be lots of changes still to come in both directions for you probably. I don’t know if that is helpful or not, but it was meant to say – it may get worse, but it will probably also get better, and regardless, it’s all temporary. In the meantime, so many hugs. Body image during pregnancy was really hard for me too.
layered bob says
I was a 34DDD/F/whatever you want to call it before pregnancy and went to a 34G/H during pregnancy, BUT I am three weeks postpartum, baby’s nursing like a champ, and I’m back to a lot of my pre-pregnancy bras. So it might not get worse. Just a voice of hope :-)
KJ says
Another voice of hope: I was a 36F before baby, and I never got much bigger during pregnancy and almost a year of nursing. Now, almost 18 months post-partum I’m a 38F. Nothing too drastic – I just use all my old bras with extenders.
Anon says
If that’s working (extenders) then you’re not a 38F, you’re a 38E. 38E and 36F are the same cup volume.
B says
LeSportsac cosmetic cases are on ruelala today!
anon for this says
I’m 20 weeks along and really struggling with the blues. Did this hit anyone else? I have felt just really sad and down for more than a month now. I’m sure it’s largely caused by hormones, as well as this impending sense that life is about to change. Don’t get me wrong – I’m so excited for this baby and he is very wanted. But I also feel really down and then mad at myself for not being happy and glowing like I’m supposed to be, which makes me feel more awful. I recently started therapy but too recent to have made any big impact. Am I just not cut out for pregnancy?
mascot says
Pregnancy may not be your thing. 3 year olds may not be your thing. Macaroni necklaces may gross you out. You may cringe at the idea of mother-son campouts. You are entitled to your feelings. This has no bearing on your parenting commitment/skills or your love for your child. It just means that this phase isn’t your favorite. The only way out is through and being open to whatever positives you encounter about each stage.
Also, pregnancy and post partum hormones are no joke so its good you are being proactive if you feel like this is more than the blues
anon says
I hear there are mythical women who love it, but experience was that it was very uncomfortable and emotionally challenging in many ways for 9+ months. I honestly hated it. And that’s okay!! It’s no reflection of you as a mother or of how much you’ll love your baby. There’s no reason you’re “supposed” to be happy and glowing.
RDC says
Yup. Me too. Hated it.
KJ says
My pregnancy was an amalgam of terror/anxiety, horrible physical discomfort, and uncontrollable weepiness. You are totally normal. Hopefully your therapist can help you come up with some good coping strategies.
LC says
I think you are totally normal, and frankly I find the whole “glowing” happy pregnant woman to be a myth. I’ve spent most of my pregnancy grappling with anxiety, body image issues, and fear. Like you, I very much want and love this baby (which in some ways contributes to my anxiety rather than minimizing it). Be gracious with yourself — pregnancy is hard.
Amelia Bedelia says
My husband and I had a baby after twelve years of infertility. We had given up all hope and had (mostly happily) adjusted. When we found out I was pregnant, we were completely overjoyed. This baby was very, very wanted.
And six weeks into the pregnancy I discovered that i HATED being pregnant. It was the WORST ever. And i started to mourn the loss of my happy couple life that would disappear forever. And i started to consider just how old my husband and I were as we embarked upon this journey. All of our friends have 7-9 year olds and such! what we were thinking?
and so many people would comment on my “miracle” and tell me to “savour every moment.” I felt like the worst human being alive.
And then I realized that I could want this baby while simultaneously hating what it did to my body and my former life. I could mourn the loss of my normal while also looking forward to the exciting new family we were creating. It doesn’t make me a bad person. It made me a more honest person to realize and accept that. And I think it has helped with my transition to a mother now.
you aren’t horrible and it may not just be hormones. It’s a natural process and you will rock the new life.
POSITA says
Pre-baby blues can correlate to post partum depression. Be sure to have a talk with your SO and OB so they are watching out for you. It is hormonal–those hormones just tend to repeat after birth in an even more dramatic fashion. It’s better if you know what to watch for and have a support system in place.
expecting twins says
My advice to you would be to talk about it with some women with kids that you feel comfortable with. I have had a scary and very physically uncomfortable pregnancy. Everything is medically fine – though still high risk with twins – but it’s been trying. It feels like people are extra excited because of the twin thing and they want to hear how I’m feeling and how happy I am. I’ve been admitting that I am looking forward to my babies but pregnancy has been rough! I’ve gotten so much understanding and empathy back. I think if you are comfortable opening up and owning it, you’ll find that others have felt similarly and will share that (much like what you see on this thread).
Also, I’m in my 25th week and have felt much much more positive the last two weeks, so you may well feel very differently as you move along this roller coaster.Should also add that I’ve been in therapy this whole time, and it became helpful within the first month.
Byrd says
I have a similar pouch that came with the Everygirl LeSportsac and really like it … but what I like best is the Everygirl. Hoping to use it as a pumping tote when I go back to work. Anyone have experience with doing something similar? My insurance pump is tote-less and although I’ve seen recommendations for pumping bags, I’d rather not spend the money if my current, much-loved Everygirl will do the trick.
Also: hoping to use regular insulated lunch bag to transport the finished product. :)
sfg says
There is nothing special about the Medela tote. I would just make sure your tote of choice can hold your pump, your milk transport bag (and ice source if needed), and empty bottles/parts, because as it turns out, the Medela tote barely squeezes all those things in.
Meg Murry says
Yes, the Medela tote turned out to be simultaneously annoyingly large and yet not actually seem like it’s holding much at all – it only fit all the piece/parts in if you fit them perfectly, and nothing extra at all if you want to fit the cooler back in.
I wound up carrying a separate lunchbag for the milk and parts, and clipping it onto the pump bag with a carabiner clip when I needed a free hand, if you find that your pump bag doesn’t always fit the lunchbag in it.
The only thing I preferred about my Medela tote to the Everygirl at first glance is that I would sometimes wear the Medela cross-body because it had a long strap – it was easier to carry that way when I was also carrying a baby or other bags. But I wouldn’t buy a different bag – I’d try out the Everygirl first and see if it works for you.
Anon says
I found the Medela tote to work great as a work bag for all my stuff – pump itself and cooler in the bottom, parts bag + my ‘purse stuff’ on top, laptop (Macbook Air) slid down the side, skinny end first. Maybe they changed it?
LC says
I need to vent for a second. I am working up until I deliver (if possible), largely because my org has pretty crappy maternity leave, so I need to save all my time up for after the baby comes. I am 39 weeks, and SO SO SO SO TIRED of all the comments I get from co-workers, especially the “you’re still here????” comments, and the comments about how “you’d better not have that baby here!” Believe me, I would rather not be here, and there is nothing I want less than to go into labor at the office. What is it about pregnancy that makes people feel totally comfortable saying things like this?
KJ says
I’m sorry! I was in your exact situation when I was pregnant, except that I was still there at 41 weeks 5 days. The sh!t people gave me was infuriating especially when they chastised me for still being at work, even though we get NO paid maternity leave. Every time I left my office I had to brace myself for the questions and comments. Luckily, it will all be over soon and you can go back to being your relatively anonymous self. Good luck!
Byrd says
Right?!? I am 39 weeks and people keep asking me if I’m working up to my due date. Health permitting, why wouldn’t I?? (not critcizing anyone who’s chosen to go on leave earlier than that, just not understanding the predominant assumption that it’s typical to go on leave before the due date, especially since I’ve never known anyone in my company to actually do that)
anon says
Because not infrequently, health doesn’t permit. That’s why they’re remarking on it.
MDMom says
This drove me crazy when I was pregnant also…but I think the only thing worse would be to sit at home twiddling my thumbs while fielding 10 “how are you feeling?” texts from friends every day. At least at work I could make myself useful. But yea it can drive you nuts. Towards the end I did snap at some people. It happens.
SC says
I was placed on bed rest at 32 weeks, and I spent 4 weeks sitting at home twiddling my thumbs fielding “how are you feeling?” texts from friends and family. I’m grateful that they loved and supported me, but it was also tiresome to deal with everyday. One of the many, many things I hated about being pregnant was that most people treat you as nothing more than a pregnant person, and you have the same conversation over and over again. I seriously almost went to my sister-in-law’s wedding wearing a sign that said “7 months/boy/May 24/no name.”
Anonymous says
I was in law school when I had my daughter, and I went to class while in labor (contractions were 7 minutes apart, I had plenty of time and could miss only 2 weeks of class per ABA rules in order to graduate). One poor male student commented, “you look enormous and really uncomfortable!” I definitely snapped at him.
(former) preg 3L says
Whoops, forgot to fill in my name. This is (former) preg 3L
PregLawyer says
Hi (former) preg3L, apparently there are some posts about you on the main page morning thread. I believe your ex is posting. Just want to give you a heads up.
(former) preg 3L says
Hi PregLawyer, thanks.
Anon says
Look, if everybody who didn’t have paid maternity leave just pointed that out (or crappy maternity leave) every time someone commented it would go a long way toward people realizing what their maternity policies are (and improving them). I fell like the only time people even look at their company’s policy is when they themselves will be using it soon.
If they realize that it may have a real and negative impact on a real person they might stop and thin about it.
anon says
Does anyone have any idea if Hotel Transylvania 2 is appropriate for an almost 7 year old (who is not on the sensitive side)? My son got invited to go, and my instinct is that it’s OK but my husband thinks it might be scary.
mascot says
I haven’t seen it but CommonSense Media and IMDb might have some kid oriented reviews.
DC Crib says
Hi ladies, I need crib advice for my 1 year old daughter. So far, we have had her in a mini crib and it has been working out really well, but I think she has started to outgrow it. She stands in it and can rock it and she doesn’t have much room to move around at night, causing her to wake up frequently. So, should I just get a bigger (regular sized) crib or start thinking about a toddler bed? I just never really thought about the next step after the mini crib.
anon says
I’d say a regular sized crib; you can buy ones that will convert to a toddler bed (ours even converts to a full-size bed, apparently, with added slats). At that age they still roll around a lot.
KJ says
Personally, I am planning on keeping my 1 year old in her crib for as long as possible because I know it’s going to be battle to keep her in a toddler bed at bedtime. If I were you, I would get a crib that converts to a toddler bed and get as much time with the crib as possible.
Anon says
I would definitely go with a regular crib. With a toddler bed at that age it would be so hard to throughly enough baby proof her room so that it would be safe if she woke at night. You’d probably need a baby gate on the door as well. I just switched my daughter to a toddler bed at age three though so ymmv
DC Crib says
Thanks so much! Any crib recommendations? Anything you love/hate, things to look for?
I feel like I thoroughly researched everything when I was pregnant and now I cant keep up with all the changes!
CPA Lady says
I have the davinci kalani. It goes from crib to toddler bed, and then converts to a full size bed (but you have to buy the bed rails separately). It was like $225 on amazon. I got whatever mattress was the highest rated one (safety 1st something or other). I’ve been pleased with it. My daughter is a tall 1 year old and on the lowest setting of the crib there is no way she could get out.
SC says
I have the same crib. My son is only 5 months old, but so far, no problems. We have it in the cherry finish (or something else dark), and we get lots of complements on it and comments that it looks more expensive than it is. My parents put it together (see comment above about being on bed rest), and it was a little difficult for them, but they accomplished it in a couple of hours. They did say they’ll be on a cruise when it’s time to convert it to a toddler bed :-)
KJ says
We have the Ikea Hensvik and no complaints so far. It’s been very sturdy and you can take the side off to make it into a toddler bed. (We haven’t done this yet.) You do need to buy a separate side rail to attach when it’s in the bed form.
CHJ says
Check out the BabyMod line at Walmart. We have the Modena and it’s really nice. I admit I was wary about Walmart and quality, but it’s actually beautiful and solid. And a great price too.
Mary Ann says
As a professional and a mother, I don’t let my son take the state tests even though he does well. I wish more professionals would help me in the fight against the corporate takeover of public education. The hours of homework, the lack of recess, the increased segregation, the disparity for how they treat black urban kids compared to white kids in the suburbs, the deprivation of electives in favor or remediation, the prison pipeline, all in the name of privatization which is just giving my tax dollars to corporations. Too many young smart recent college graduates, are jointing Teach for America, also known as Teach for Awhile. I hope more and more of you join in the opt out movement even if you have kids in private school or you are homeschooling. Corporate mothers need to join this fight.